By Alan Cooperman and James Bell

Pakistanis will go to the polls Saturday in parliamentary elections that mark the first democratic transition from one elected civilian government to another in their country’s 66-year history. But support for democracy is thin in Pakistan, according to a Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the world. By a nearly two-to-one margin (56% to 29%), Pakistani Muslims say they would prefer “a leader with a strong hand” over “a democratic form of government” to solve their country’s problems. This is among the lowest levels of support for democracy in the 37 countries and territories where the question was asked, as the chart on the right shows and a new Pew Research infographic illustrates.

In addition, most of Pakistan’s Muslims doubt that they can have any real political influence. Two-thirds of Pakistani Muslims either completely agree (53%) or mostly agree (13%) with the statement that “people like me don’t have any say about what the government does.” Just 25% disagree, either completely (20%) or mostly (5%).

The Pew Research survey of Pakistani Muslims (who make up 96% of the country’s population, according to a December 2012 Pew Research demographic study) was conducted in November 2011, well before the current election campaign. A more recent Pew Research poll, conducted in March of this year, shows that most Pakistanis think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 83% give an unfavorable rating to the incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People’s Party.

More than a half dozen political parties are vying for seats in parliament, including some opposition parties that formally identify as religious or Islamic. In the survey of Muslims around the world, respondents were asked to compare Islamic political parties with other parties. A plurality of Pakistan’s Muslims say Islamic parties are about the same as other parties (39%). Just 10% say Islamic parties are worse, while 29% see Islamic parties as better than other parties.

More broadly, many of Pakistan’s Muslims think that religious leaders should have a role in politics. About half say that religious leaders should have either “some influence” (27%) or a “large influence” (27%) in political matters, while about a quarter say religious leaders should have “not too much influence” (12%) or “no influence at all” (14%).

Alan Cooperman is the associate director of research for the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, and James Bell is the Pew Research Center’s director of international survey research.

In addition, most of Pakistan’s Muslims doubt that they can have any real political influence. Two-thirds of Pakistani Muslims either completely agree (53%) or mostly agree (13%) with the statement that “people like me don’t have any say about what the government does.” Just 25% disagree, either completely (20%) or mostly (5%).

The Pew Research survey of Pakistani Muslims (who make up 96% of the country’s population, according to a December 2012 Pew Research demographic study) was conducted in November 2011, well before the current election campaign. A more recent Pew Research poll, conducted in March of this year, shows that most Pakistanis think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 83% give an unfavorable rating to the incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari of the Pakistan People’s Party.

More than a half dozen political parties are vying for seats in parliament, including some opposition parties that formally identify as religious or Islamic. In the survey of Muslims around the world, respondents were asked to compare Islamic political parties with other parties. A plurality of Pakistan’s Muslims say Islamic parties are about the same as other parties (39%). Just 10% say Islamic parties are worse, while 29% see Islamic parties as better than other parties.

More broadly, many of Pakistan’s Muslims think that religious leaders should have a role in politics. About half say that religious leaders should have either “some influence” (27%) or a “large influence” (27%) in political matters, while about a quarter say religious leaders should have “not too much influence” (12%) or “no influence at all” (14%).

Two-in-three Pakistanis have a favorable opinion of Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister and leader of the largest opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Sharif is especially popular in Punjab, the country’s most populous province. His ratings have been consistently positive over the last few years, and many observers believe the elections will sweep his party back into power.

However, the wild card of the election may be Imran Khan from the upstart Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) . The former cricket star – in 1992, he led Pakistan to its only World Cup championship in the sport – has shaken up Pakistani politics in recent years, with massive rallies and a message that appeals to many who have grown frustrated with the status quo in a country plagued by violence, corruption, and a poor economy.

And Khan hasn’t shied away from anti-American rhetoric, which could be a political winner in a nation where only 11% have a favorable opinion of the United States. At a rally last weekend, Khan said all Pakistani politicians are “slaves” of the U.S. and that he would shoot down American drones if they entered Pakistani airspace.

Six-in-ten Pakistanis express a positive opinion of the PTI leader, down slightly from 70% a year ago. But Khan’s biggest challenge may be converting his personal popularity into votes. His party, which in previous elections has been able to claim only one seat in parliament, doesn’t have the geographic base, party machine, or longstanding patronage networks that the two leading parties – the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – have developed over the years, so it’s unclear how many seats the PTI will be able to win.

Meanwhile, ratings are abysmal for incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari from the PPP, which had a majority in the most recent parliament.  Only 14% give him favorable marks. Views of Zardari have turned sharply negative since he took office in 2008, only months after the assassination of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.  Then, 64% saw him in a positive light.

Zardari’s ratings may be low, but his party can take credit for presiding over a significant achievement: making it through a full term in office. No matter who wins this weekend’s elections, it will be the first time in Pakistan’s history – a history checkered by several military coups – that a democratically-elected parliament will be followed by another democratically-elected parliament.

When 91% of the public thinks the country is on the wrong track, it’s usually a good sign for the opposition’s electoral hopes, and as Pakistan prepares for parliamentary elections on May 11, supporters of two major opposition parties are feeling optimistic. Moreover, as a new Pew Research Center poll highlights, the leaders of those two parties are getting positive reviews from the public.

Two-in-three Pakistanis have a favorable opinion of Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister and leader of the largest opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Sharif is especially popular in Punjab, the country’s most populous province. His ratings have been consistently positive over the last few years, and many observers believe the elections will sweep his party back into power.

However, the wild card of the election may be Imran Khan from the upstart Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) . The former cricket star – in 1992, he led Pakistan to its only World Cup championship in the sport – has shaken up Pakistani politics in recent years, with massive rallies and a message that appeals to many who have grown frustrated with the status quo in a country plagued by violence, corruption, and a poor economy.

And Khan hasn’t shied away from anti-American rhetoric, which could be a political winner in a nation where only 11% have a favorable opinion of the United States. At a rally last weekend, Khan said all Pakistani politicians are “slaves” of the U.S. and that he would shoot down American drones if they entered Pakistani airspace.

Six-in-ten Pakistanis express a positive opinion of the PTI leader, down slightly from 70% a year ago. But Khan’s biggest challenge may be converting his personal popularity into votes. His party, which in previous elections has been able to claim only one seat in parliament, doesn’t have the geographic base, party machine, or longstanding patronage networks that the two leading parties – the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – have developed over the years, so it’s unclear how many seats the PTI will be able to win.

Meanwhile, ratings are abysmal for incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari from the PPP, which had a majority in the most recent parliament.  Only 14% give him favorable marks. Views of Zardari have turned sharply negative since he took office in 2008, only months after the assassination of his wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.  Then, 64% saw him in a positive light.

Zardari’s ratings may be low, but his party can take credit for presiding over a significant achievement: making it through a full term in office. No matter who wins this weekend’s elections, it will be the first time in Pakistan’s history – a history checkered by several military coups – that a democratically-elected parliament will be followed by another democratically-elected parliament.

Richard Wike is associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. Follow him on Twitter @RichardWike.

As newly-elected President Park Geun-hye prepares to visit Washington, DC to meet with President Obama on Tuesday, South Koreans continue to express overwhelmingly positive views of the United States and its president. The two leaders are expected to discuss a strategy to deal with recent North Korean provocations, including a third nuclear test, the sentencing of an American to 15 years of hard labor and the closing of an industrial park run jointly with South Korea.

Park, who was elected in December as the first female president of South Korea, will also address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, to discuss the U.S.-South Korean relationship at a time when tensions are rising in the region.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds roughly eight-in-ten South Koreans (78%) have a favorable opinion of the U.S. While this figure is basically unchanged since Obama first took office in 2009, it is a significant improvement from the early years of the George W. Bush era. In the months following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, positive views towards America dropped to 46%. However, before Bush left office in 2008, they had climbed back to 70%, and have remained high ever since.

President Obama himself also enjoys high ratings from South Koreans. In the most recent survey, 77% express confidence in the American president’s ability to handle world affairs, with only 20% saying they lack confidence in him. Similar percentages voiced positive evaluations of Obama in the years after his initial election. Assessments of former President Bush were much harsher.  When he left office in 2008, only three-in-ten South Koreans had confidence in Bush, while 64% had little or no confidence.

Here are more detailed results and survey methodology.

Jacob Poushter is a research associate with the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a strategy to deal with recent North Korean provocations, including a third nuclear test, the sentencing of an American to 15 years of hard labor and the closing of an industrial park run jointly with South Korea.

Park, who was elected in December as the first female president of South Korea, will also address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, to discuss the U.S.-South Korean relationship at a time when tensions are rising in the region.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds roughly eight-in-ten South Koreans (78%) have a favorable opinion of the U.S. While this figure is basically unchanged since Obama first took office in 2009, it is a significant improvement from the early years of the George W. Bush era. In the months following the invasion of Iraq in 2003, positive views towards America dropped to 46%. However, before Bush left office in 2008, they had climbed back to 70%, and have remained high ever since.

President Obama himself also enjoys high ratings from South Koreans. In the most recent survey, 77% express confidence in the American president’s ability to handle world affairs, with only 20% saying they lack confidence in him. Similar percentages voiced positive evaluations of Obama in the years after his initial election. Assessments of former President Bush were much harsher.  When he left office in 2008, only three-in-ten South Koreans had confidence in Bush, while 64% had little or no confidence.

Here are more detailed results and survey methodology.

The Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, along with its predecessor the Alliance Party, has been Malaysia’s dominant political force since independence in 1957. But BN’s hold slipped in the 2008 election — the 140 seats out of 222 it won marked the coalition’s worst performance in decades. And the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim , is pressing hard to finally gain power at the national level.

Malaysia’s estimated 13 million voters will elect members of the federal Parliament and 12 of Malaysia’s 13 state legislative assemblies.

In a survey conducted in March for a forthcoming Pew Research Center report, 82% of Malaysians said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country, up from 76% in 2007. A similar percentage, 85%, called Malaysia’s economic situation good, up from 76% in 2007.

Malaysia’s economy remains strong. Real GDP grew by 5.6% last year, according to the current World Economic Outlook report (pdf) from the International Monetary Fund; the IMF expects Malaysia’s economy to grow 5.1% this year and 5.2% in 2014.

But consumer prices are growing as well. After rising 1.7% in 2012, the IMF expects inflation to average 2.2% this year and 2.4% next year. The BN government has spent billions of dollars subsidizing everything from rice and fuel to schoolbooks, according to the BBC report.

In the Pew Research survey, 71% called rising prices a “very big problem;” a 38% plurality said inflation should be government’s top priority, more than those citing lack of job opportunities, public debt or the gap between rich and poor.

Here are more detailed survey results and a discussion of the methodology.

As Malaysians head to the polls this Sunday in what the BBC calls the nation’s “most hotly contested general election,” most report feeling satisfied with the direction of their country.

The Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, along with its predecessor the Alliance Party, has been Malaysia’s dominant political force since independence in 1957. But BN’s hold slipped in the 2008 election — the 140 seats out of 222 it won marked the coalition’s worst performance in decades. And the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim , is pressing hard to finally gain power at the national level.

Malaysia’s estimated 13 million voters will elect members of the federal Parliament and 12 of Malaysia’s 13 state legislative assemblies.

In a survey conducted in March for a forthcoming Pew Research Center report, 82% of Malaysians said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country, up from 76% in 2007. A similar percentage, 85%, called Malaysia’s economic situation good, up from 76% in 2007.

Malaysia’s economy remains strong. Real GDP grew by 5.6% last year, according to the current World Economic Outlook report (pdf) from the International Monetary Fund; the IMF expects Malaysia’s economy to grow 5.1% this year and 5.2% in 2014.

But consumer prices are growing as well. After rising 1.7% in 2012, the IMF expects inflation to average 2.2% this year and 2.4% next year. The BN government has spent billions of dollars subsidizing everything from rice and fuel to schoolbooks, according to the BBC report.

In the Pew Research survey, 71% called rising prices a “very big problem;” a 38% plurality said inflation should be government’s top priority, more than those citing lack of job opportunities, public debt or the gap between rich and poor.

Here are more detailed survey results and a discussion of the methodology.

Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at the Pew Research Center.